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incubate
[ in-kyuh-beyt, ing- ]
/ ˈɪn kyəˌbeɪt, ˈɪŋ- /
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verb (used with object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.
to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.
to hatch (eggs), as by sitting upon them or by artificial heat.
to maintain at a favorable temperature and in other conditions promoting development, as cultures of bacteria or prematurely born infants.
to develop or produce as if by hatching; give form to: His brain was incubating schemes for raising money.
verb (used without object), in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.
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Origin of incubate
OTHER WORDS FROM incubate
in·cu·ba·tive, adjectiveun·in·cu·bat·ed, adjectiveWords nearby incubate
incriminate, incross, incrossbred, in-crowd, incrust, incubate, incubation, incubation patch, incubation period, incubator, incubous
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use incubate in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for incubate
incubate
/ (ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪt) /
verb
(of birds) to supply (eggs) with heat for their development, esp by sitting on them
to cause (eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop, esp in an incubator or culture medium
(intr) (of eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc) to develop in favourable conditions, esp in an incubator
(intr) (of disease germs) to remain inactive in an animal or human before causing disease
to develop or cause to develop gradually; foment or be fomented
Derived forms of incubate
incubation, nounincubational, adjectiveincubative or incubatory, adjectiveWord Origin for incubate
C18: from Latin incubāre to lie upon, hatch, from in- ² + cubāre to lie down
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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